Book Review: Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart by Beth Pattillo

Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart by Beth Pattillo, author of Jane Austen Ruined My Life.
Review by Me, Emily.

Claire Prescott is anything but thrilled when she gets roped into going to a Jane Austen seminar in place of her sister. Unlike her sister, she doesn't see the appeal of the iconic Mr. Darcy. Claire has been dating a 'nice guy' and is content with him. Mostly.

While at the seminar, she is swept away by a handsome Darcy-like character. She also comes into possession of the long-lost first draft of Pride and Prejudice in Jane Austen's own writing.

Will she be whisked away by the handsome man at her romantic getaway in Oxford? Or will the nice guy win her heart after all?

I thoroughly enjoyed this Austen spinoff. Although, I am not sure I agreed with the ending...you know...did she really end up with the right guy? I'm not sure.

Anyway, the book is 'good, clean fun'. It's quick and enjoyable.

(PS. A little shameless self-promotion...If you are ordering anything from Amazon this Christmas, I'd really appreciate it if you clicked through my site to get there. Thanks!)

Dear Mother Nature. Thanks for the Snow.

One day last week, My Bebe said that he didn't have that much work to do. Hallelujah! I said. Let's do something fun in the morning. Then I told the kids, and Bubs, in an unusually sarcastic tone, said, What? Like go to the store and not buy anything?

We're certainly feeling the pinch of the economy like most of you probably are. I wracked my brain in frustration for a free place to go in freezing weather, other than, you know, the store...and came up empty.

BUT, the next morning we woke up to snow. Not a whole lot. Just enough for a free family activity.

Thanks, Mother Nature.

Doll Houses Made from books!

Who needs an expensive doll house when you can make mansions out of books?

Book Review: Far World: Water Keep by J. Scott Savage

Far World: Water Keep by J. Scott Savage

Review by Cindy Bohn of Digging up Bohns

This is another of the great fantasy books written by a local author. For some reason, it seems like a bunch of the local LDS writers are getting known for their children's fantasy series. No, I'm not including Stephenie Meyer in that. She is LDS, but she's not a local. I mean like Brandon Mull of the Fablehaven series, Brandon Sanderson (OK, he also writes adult fantasy), Shannon Hale, Brett Helquist, Obert Skye, and now J. Scott Savage.

The basic idea is that Earth and Far World are like mirror worlds. Earth has no magic, Far World has no machines, but they are very closely linked. Now two children are the key to saving both worlds, but they can only do it by enlisting the help of the elementals to fight the Dark Circle.

The opening chapters were really solid. Marcus was up against some truly nasty folks on Earth. And I liked Kyra. But for a book called Water Keep, we didn't spend much time in the world of water. I was disappointed by that. The cover makes it look like the main characters will be spending lots of time in the water.

Still, it was a good start to the series, and I will give it another chance, mostly because I liked the two main characters.

Thanksgiving snacks/appetizers for kids

Sweet or salty? How do you like your turkey sandwich?

For the PB&J Turkey...

1. Spread peanut butter and jelly on a full piece of bread.

2. Cut circle head out with a lid. We used a spice lid. Place it on your turkey.

3. Roll out fruit snacks for feathers.

4. Make a face with peanut butter and jelly.

For the Cheesy Turkey...

1. Cut out a circle head from bread with one lid.

2. Cut a larger circle of cheese to frame the head.

3. Use grated cheese for feathers and face. You can use ketchup or cream cheese as glue.

The idea came from Family Fun, and we adapted it to what we had and what the kids felt like eating for lunch.

A Long Line of Love Lyrics and "Being a Mother Through and Through"

Bought a beautiful diamond ring

I offered it to the sweetest thing I know

And she said she would take it.

We started making some wedding plans

She looked at me and she took my hand and said

Do you think we can make it?



I said my granddad's still in love with my grandma

I said my dad still thinks my mom's the sweetest thing he ever saw

You see I come from a long line of love

When the times get hard, we don't give up

Forever is in my heart and in my blood

You see I come from a long line of love.



The years went by and we had a son

Now he thinks he has found someone for him

And they're planning a wedding

He called me up on the phone today

Just to see what I had to say to him

Did I think he was ready?



I said what his grandfather used to say to me

It's been handed down for ages

It runs in our family.



Son, you come from a long line of love

When the times get hard, you won't give up

Forever is in uour heart and in your blood.

Son, You Come From A Long Line of Love

Yes you Come From A Long Line of Love.





For the most part, I'm not a huge fan of classic country...unless, My Bebe and I are in the mood to play hicks. This song, A Long Line of Love, is one I remember singing countless times in the car with my dad.


I've been thinking lately about the chain of love I come from. My mom's birthday was last week. She is truly an angel on earth. Even as a teen, I used to say that if we didn't need her, she'd be taken straight to heaven. I called her on her birthday and told her what a wonderful mother she is. After blowing off the compliments, she began complimenting her own mother.

They are the kind of mothers that keep mothering long after their children are out of the home. They are always there. My mom called her mom "a mother through and through".

This is the line of love I come from. I feel so blessed. I feel like mothering is what I was made for. I love it and find my fullfillment in it. I owe this to my mother and the long line of love before her.

How our Book Club Works

I hosted book club this month. We tend to have around 7 or 8 people come each time. This month, we discussed The Phantom of the Opera, which made for excellent conversation.

The book club has been going for a few years. Here are some things we have found...

-The group works best if we are casual about food/treats. Nobody wants to host the group if they are expected to make a bunch of food.

-One person is responsible for all book club emails. They send email reminders twice/month.

-As a group, we choose 4 books at a time. We have found that when we choose more than 4, we tend to make changes. This frustrates people who buy books ahead.

-When we choose books, everyone brings a few ideas. If we have the books, we pass them around. Usually we decide what we want to read through discussing. When nobody wants to choose, we take a vote.

-Everyone is welcome to join the club, but only avid readers end up in it for the long haul.

-We meet once/month. On the night we choose books, we also choose hosts for each month.

-The host generally initiates the book discussion.

-We try to read a wide range of books. When we have read a couple heavy books in a row, we opt for a lighter one. We try to throw in nonfiction, fiction, YA, and historical fiction.

Here are some of the (deliciously clean) books we have particularly enjoyed as a book club:

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom

The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux

These is my Words by Nancy Turner (She'll call your book club! So will Donna Woolfolk Cross, author of Pope Joan...and wow, she's a riot!)

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

I'd love to hear some of your top choices for book club books, as well.

Thanks!

NaNoWriMo Writing Contest

Do you write? Did you know that I write? I mean, other than blogging. Obviously. I write for children. Of course, I haven't been published in book form YET, only magazine form. Anyway, I'm thinking about entering this contest.

Have you heard of NaNoWriMo? Sounds wacky, huh? It means National Novel Writing Month. Guess when that is? It's now. And I am working on a brand new story in honor of it. Bubs is, too. So far, Bubs has one chapter written and I have three.

I'll keep you posted on how it goes. Unless it doesn't go far. Then I might be too embarrassed to admit how it's going.

Don't Cry Over Spilled Milk

You know what is great about having kids? Seeing their joys in the simple things...like feeling a new texture, tasting ice cream for the first time, or splashing in a puddle of milk.

Today I will try to find joy in the little things. Life can sure get messy, but there are many things to be grateful for.

Sucker Ghosts: Easy Halloween Project

Have you ever made sucker ghosts? They're so easy. You just wrap a tootsie pop with a tissue and tie it with white ribbon or yarn. You can give them faces if you want. And that's it. Quick and easy. They're great if you need to bring a halloween treat somewhere.

Enjoy the big weekend.

Loves.

The Tumbling Gym for PE

It has become a tradition for us to go the tumbling gym when my youngest bro is in town. This time, they added sumo suits to the fun.

And on a completely unrelated note...It's really important to me to be close to family. When I hear people say that they don't want to be too close (as in where they live) to their parents/siblings, it makes me sad. I hope my kids will want to live nearby when they are old and grown.

Making Apple Juice

On Saturday, we went back to the apple orchard for harvesting and pressing apple cider. Work doesn't get more fun than this! First, we picked apples. Bubs preferred climbing the trees and plucking apples one at a time.

The rest of us shook the apples out of the trees and placed them in buckets.



Carrying the buckets to the press was apparently a 4-kid job.


This orchard was heaven. I loved this horse tire swing.

After the apples were hosed off, they were dropped down the chute into a chopper that cut them up into small pieces...peel, seeds, and all.

Then, the pieces were dumped into a press and the juice was squeezed out. So yummy! We came home with several gallons of fresh, unsweetened (but amazingly sweet) cider.

Trash bag ghosts and napkin bats and tissue ghosts, Oh my.

I do love fall. I really do. BUT I don't love the sicknesses that come with it. We aren't very sick. Just sick enough.